Rollers for curling the hair are well known. Normally, such rollers are single cylinders on which the hair is rolled and pinned until the hair has dried or some hair setting or conditioning composition has set or dried. Thereafter, the roller is removed and the hair brushed or combed as desired. Such rollers may be obtained having different diameters depending on the type of curls to be achieved by their use. Smaller diameter rollers naturally result in a tighter curl as compared to larger diameter rollers. For some hairdos, especially those involving high-style, where a tight curl is desired at or near the end of the hair away from the scalp, and a looser curl nearer the scalp, such single rollers are not generally suitable. Accordingly, double or combination rollers have been proposed, for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,050,069 and 3,682,182. The earlier patented curlers are difficult to use, because with hair wrapped around the smaller roller, it cannot be readily fitted or placed within the larger of the rollers. Thus, the operator or user must be continually aware of, and careful not to wrap too much hair around the smaller roller, or the device will not function properly. Further, the full length of the larger roller cannot be used for rolling hair since the smaller roller is not as long. The later patent incorporates a smaller roller on which annular bands are secured at the end. Such a device is more difficult to manufacture, and the bands are somewhat fragile and may be easily broken unless care is taken during use and handling.
A more recent U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,057 discloses a roller assembly using an outside roller having a partially circular channel and an inside roller for fitting into the channel, wherein the channel has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the inside roller. If stiff materials are used in producing the components, the device is inoperable since the inside roller can not be held in the smaller diameter channel without one or the other components cracking or breaking. Yet, even with more flexible plastic materials, especially with the inside roller wrapped with hair, the constant expansion of the smaller diameter channel will cause fatigue and early failure of the device. Moreover, when the roller is wrapped with wet hair and forced inside the smaller diameter channel, the channel surface is spread to tightly press against the hair, resulting in a significant increase for hair drying time because of the greatly reduced air space. It is to the elimination of these disadvantages that the roller device of the present invention is directed.